Articles
Debdatta Banerjee and Arunita Banerjee - 09/09/2022
Dr. Megha Vagadia is an experimental condensed matter physicist and material scientist at IISER Bhopal. In this electronic interview, she talks about her exciting field of research, her views on balancing gender ratios in academia and interesting alternate career options outside academia.
Celebrating Marie Tharp: The Queen of the Oceans!
Apeksha Srivastava and Aniruddha Mukherjee - Issue #12 (May 2022)
July 30, 2020, marked the 100th birth anniversary of the very inspirational Marie Tharp, the woman who 'decoded' the oceans. While several other scientists remain at the forefront of academic media, not many people know about the woman who showed us, for the first time, that the ocean bottom has a range of geographical features, similar to what we see on land. Before the early 1950s, the world knew very little about the ocean floor structure. It was her revolutionary work that not only opened doors to previously unknown and amazing terrain of the ocean floor, but also made it possible for us to understand our planet better. Marie Tharp was one of the creators of the first detailed map of the Atlantic Ocean floor, and she definitely did not stop just there.
Genes vs Proteins: A perspective from brain tumor research
Aniruddha Mukherjee - Issue #12 (May 2022)
The plethora of molecules inside a cell is highly regulated in terms of their abundance and functions. The regulation happens in layers which are, again, most fundamentally attributed to the expression of genes and proteins. The present article enlightens us on how a large-scale the study of proteins and genes in one of the deadliest tumors reveals layer-specific association of molecules with the time of survival of patients.
Sweet smell of plague - A step towards preventing locust swarms
Anandarup Bhadra - Issue #12 (May 2022)
In 2020, western and central India saw the sky blackened by millions of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria), a haunting image out of the Biblical plagues. These swarms can be upto a few kilometers long and can wipe out several fields of crops in a single day. They are a threat to the food and livelihood of millions of people[1]. Recently, Xiaojiao Guo and her colleagues made some crucial discoveries in understanding how locusts aggregate, as reported in a study in Nature, “4-vinylanisole is an aggregation pheromone in locusts”[2]. This may provide better strategies to deal with locust swarms, a crisis that revisits us once every few decades.
Divyansh Dewan - Issue #12 (May 2022)
This article briefly explains how the structure of the milky way galaxy was found and what physical processes and observational techniques enable us to calculate distances and speeds at an astronomical scale.
Love thy neighbor: Can humans and animals live next to each other in peace
Anish Paul - Issue #11 (February 2022)
People have been sharing spaces with large mammals like elephants and leopards for eternity in northern West Bengal. But over the last few decades, this region has been reporting one of the highest human-wildlife negative interactions globally. A group of scientists are trying to find how the coexistence of human and wildlife can be promoted in this pristine yet modified landscape.
Does Air Pollution Impact COVID-19 Mortality?
Shrushti S. Patil - Issue #11 (February 2022)
This article focuses on the air pollution aspect which influences COVID-19 mortality rate. It sheds light on how even a minor increase in the number of harmful air pollutants can exacerbate COVID-19’s damaging consequences.
Scientists find a golden way to detect harmful bacteria
Ashley Roby - Issue #11 (February 2022)
This article talks about a new method scientists have devised to detect bacterial contamination in food and water samples - using gold nanoparticles!
A compact and cost-effective device developed to monitor body- fat burning
Sakshi Hardaha - Issue #11 (February 2022)
A precise method of monitoring fat metabolization by breath analysis, which has application in detection of global diseases like diabetes.
Did you know our tired brain cells can alter our perception of time?
Bhavana Sitaphale - Issue #11 (February 2022)
We are familiar with the feeling of time flying away too fast or moving too slow. This article discusses how our brain perceives and processes this distortion.
Ladies, is coffee consumption affecting your fat distribution?
Sanskruti Biswal - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Obesity is a huge problem globally, related to many chronic diseases and higher mortality. This science article discusses a study published in The Journal of Nutrition that found an association between coffee consumption and fat distribution and percentage fat in adult women.
COVID-19’s Impact on Environment: Heroic or Villainous?
Apeksha Srivastava - Issue #11 (February 2022)
The coronavirus pandemic has turned our lives upside-down. Life as we knew it, changed considerably since the onset of the lockdowns and mobility restrictions. Have you wondered whether its effects on our environment could be positive or negative?
Dark Matter: Exotic phenomenon or convenient hypothesis?
Asish Philip Monai - Issue #11 (February 2022)
For decades, astronomers, physicists, and cosmologists have hypothesized that the universe is made up of an exotic material known as "dark matter,” which explains the strange gravitational behaviour of galaxies and galaxy clusters. According to mathematical models, dark matter accounts for three-quarters of all matter in the universe. However, it has never been seen or fully explained. While dark matter has become the dominant theory to account for the unexplained motion of stars within galaxies, some scientists have looked for alternative explanations for why galaxies hold together these stars.
Best Friends or Best Parents? How Pet Dogs Perceive Us
Anjira Sengupta - Issue #11 (February 2022)
This pandemic has confined us to our homes and abruptly interrupted our daily social gatherings. It might have been a little easier for people with pets at home. This article focuses on pet dogs and how our furry roommates perceive us, and how that might differ from their perception of other companion dogs living in the same house
A Generation of Lost Researchers
Raunak Dey - Issue #11 (February 2022)
A young research scholar’s point of view on the plight of the careers and mental health of his peers and colleagues, as the pandemic ravaged the globe.
Natural cure for Cancer: Are Orchids the panacea?
Arshpreet Kaur - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Orchids are popular for their beautiful flowers worldwide. But, did you ever think that there’s more to them apart from their ornamental value? Read on to know about the medicinal importance of these plants and their potential usage for cancer treatment in future.
Starving Your Neighbours: Shrinking Pancreatic Tumours
Kevin Philip Sabu - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Shutting off the transfer of nutrients from the neighbouring cells to the tumour is an effective way of controlling tumour growth in pancreatic cancer. Rapidly growing pancreatic tumours obtain nutrients by capturing nutrients from nearby cells. This article discusses therapeutic techniques based on this strategy
Probiotics: Not just a mere food supplement
Gunjan Sachdeva - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Probiotics have risen in popularity in recent years as a result of growing scientific evidence demonstrating their favourable effects on human health. This article highlights recent probiotic studies on Alzheimers disease.
Smartwatches are the new doctors: Diagnosis made easy
Akshatha N. S. - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Gadgets have taken a large portion of our lives and made us comfy. Smartwatches, a fashion gadget, can do many more things than time-telling. This article unravels the outcomes of an interesting study that gives a proof-of-concept of smartwatches as better health predictors.
A tangible tale of thermodynamics
Anish Paul & Akshatha N. S. - Issue #11 (February 2022)
Have you ever wondered why ice melts when taken out of the refrigerator? How hot water eventually cools? Where does all the hotness and coldness go? The answer lies in thermodynamics, the mutual relation between energy (heat) with motion.
The ‘Nobel’ Feeling - Understanding how we ‘feel’ the world around us
Saptarshi Maji - Issue #10 (December 2021)
We all react to touch and heat, but how do we perceive that sensation? This article talks about the mechanism of touch and temperature receptors that won the Nobel prize in Physiology and Medicine in 2021.
Spinning the world of physics into chaotic territory
Prajwal Padmanabha - Issue #10 (December 2021)
Complex systems are exactly as the name suggests, complicated. They are hard to understand and predict, and they are everywhere. This article talks about what makes them hard to understand and shows how scientists have overcome these difficulties, which led to them winning the 2021 Nobel Prize in Physics.
Sayak Dasgupta - Issue #10 (December 2021)
The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize awards came at a critical juncture amidst the ongoing crackdown by governments and private corporations on the institutions of free press and freedom of expression. This article brings forth the struggles and successes of the two recipients of the award, and also throws light on the importance of the free press in a world where yellow journalism has been evergrowing.
The Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, 2021
Aditya Verma - Issue #10 (December 2021)
This year, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences, awarded in memory of Alfred Nobel, recognized contributions to labour economics and the understanding of cause-effect relationships through natural experiments.
The Asymmetric World: A Nobel Tale
Subhajit Chakraborty - Issue #10 (December 2021)
This beautiful world and Mother Nature host an alluring interplay of different symmetric and asymmetric objects on the basis of which all life processes, climatic phenomena, and other scientific activities occur. Scientists have been trying to decode this interplay of symmetry and asymmetry for a long, long time now, and it seems there is significant growth in this process.
Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Hot! Hot! Hot!
Naman Agrawal - Issue #10 (December 2021)
Understanding how humans perceive the world around them has been a central driving force for most of our scientific endeavours. Two key pieces of the puzzle, namely temperature and touch sensors, were discovered by Dr. David Julius and Dr. Ardem Patapoutian for which they were awarded the Nobel prize in 2021. This article aims to elucidate the methodology followed by the nobel laureates for their discoveries.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Rumi De: At the interface of physics and biology
Debdatta Banerjee and Arunita Banerjee - 15/12/2021
Dr. Rumi De is an associate professor at the Department of Physical Sciences, IISER Kolkata. In this electronic interview she narrates her journey of child-like curiosity leading to a career in interdisciplinary scientific research and how extra-curricular activities help in the holistic development of young minds.
শিক্ষার লকডাউন (A Lockdown of education / Education in lockdown)
অনিন্দিতা ভদ্র (Anindita Bhadra) - Issue #9 (October 2021)
গতবছরের আকস্মিক লকডাউনের ফলে এক অপরিসীম বিপদের মুখে পড়তে হয় শিক্ষক, ছাত্রছাত্রী ও আমাদের সামগ্রিক শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থাকে। এই সময়ে বিভিন্ন স্কুল ও কলেজের প্রশাসনিক বিভাগের নির্দেশে শুরু করা হয় অনলাইনে ক্লাসের প্রথা-পক্রিয়া। এই হঠাৎ সিদ্ধান্তের ফলে একাধারে যেমন নাস্তানাবুদ হতে হয় শিক্ষক শিক্ষিকাদের অনলাইন শিক্ষা মাধ্যমের সাথে সঙ্গতি জোগাতে, অন্যদিকে ছাত্রছাত্রীরা উৎসাহ হারাতে থাকে পড়াশোনায়। আমাদের সমাজে শিক্ষা ব্যবস্থার এই বিপুল অবগতির নানান প্রভাব আলোচিত হয়েছে এই লেখায়।
Did Mount Everest grow taller?
Rahul Subbaraman - Issue #9 (October 2021)
Throughout our school life, we have consistently learnt that the height of Mount Everest is 8848 m. Last December, international media reported an agreement between Nepal and China over the new height of the highest point on Earth. This brought an end to decades of disputes and controversies over the previously reported heights. What was all the fuss about? Read on to find out!
Neha Rani Kumar - Issue #9 (October 2021)
Dr. Neha Rani Kumar talks about her experience as a PhD student in chemistry at IISER Kolkata, and a fortuitous coincidence involving the compound azulene during the same.
Bishwarup Paul - Issue #9 (October 2021)
This article explores the rise of the ‘holy cow’ into a discordant subject in the Indian socio-political scenario and its role in the spread of pseudoscientific ideas, violence and public health hazards.
Chaos: The orderly secrets of our disorderly world
Sayantan Khan - Issue #9 (October 2021)
John Updike once mentioned, "Human was the music, natural was the static". This article focuses on the beauty of chaos theory, most of which is still a mess of gorgeous mysteries. Chaos and order are exhaustive. In all chaos, there is a cosmos, and in all disorder, a secret order.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Sujata Ray: Towards a sustainable earth
Debdatta Banerjee and Arunita Banerjee - 29/09/2021
Dr. Sujata Ray is an Associate Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, IISER Kolkata. In this electronic interview she talks about her training as an environmental engineer and her current role in the Department of Earth Sciences.
Rahul Subbaraman and Arunita Banerjee - 04/09/2021
Dr. Devapriya Chattopadhyay is an Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Earth and Climate Science, at IISER Pune. She served nine years in IISER Kolkata as a faculty member in the Department of Earth Sciences before moving to IISER Pune. In this electronic interview she shares her journey in paleobiology research and how experiences from the field are much more than just exciting stories.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Mayurika Lahiri: A flagbearer of breast-cancer research
Shruti Mandal and Arunita Banerjee - 28/08/2021
Dr. Mayurika Lahiri is an associate professor of biology at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER), Pune. In this electronic interview, she talks about her life-saving research targeted towards designing therapies for breast cancer and the academic atmosphere in the country.
Fractals: A New Way of Understanding Visual Arts
Debanuj Chatterjee - Issue #8 (August 2021)
What is beautiful and what is not? How to define or identify beauty? Man has asked and tried to answer these questions through the ages. Nevertheless, despite being captivating and transcendental, the nature of beauty turned out to be highly elusive.
Debanuj Chatterjee - Issue #8 (August 2021)
Margherita got into the cab in tears. It was her fifth breakup with Raphaël, her classmate in the University. It was raining outside. As the cab gushed through the shimmering streets, her eyes were transfixed on the oscillating motion of the wipers of the car. She was living the lives of those raindrops that flew through the clouds all the way down to hit a car screen and eventually be scathed away by petty wipers. Before she lost herself into deeper bubbles, she gathered herself and said, “I am not going to patch up with him again”. But promptly she realized she had said the same thing after her last five break ups with him.
Is Geometry Disconnected From Algebra? An excerpt from 1984
Satwata Hans - Issue #8 (August 2021)
In our early days in high school, geometry and algebra seldom showed any deeply rooted connections. When we first learn about geometry, it is introduced through the techniques used by the ancient Greeks from the school of Euclid of Alexandria. In this realm, we use exclusively geometric arguments to study its properties. Later, when we look at conic sections (parabola, ellipse, hyperbola), our approach is to solve algebraic equations. For the first time we see a link between these two subjects. Today, we look at a case where a beautiful geometric entity arises solely from an algebraic object. Luckily, our problem at hand will be reasonably simple and charming. But in modern mathematics, mathematicians often turn towards studying complicated algebraic objects using their geometry. This is the famous field of algebraic geometry.
The art-science interplay: A story of functional interdependence
Satyarthi Mishra - Issue #8 (August 2021)
This article traces the ‘zeitgeist’ of the evolution of art and science through history, and the expressions of artists and scientists and draws parallels themed around the interdependence of the thought processes involved.
Genetically Modified Organisms
Swastik Kundu - Issue #8 (August 2021)
GMO stands for Genetically Modified Organisms. If you break it down word by word, you get Genetically, which means genes, Modified, which refers to a positive change to the genetic structure and lastly, Organisms, which are living beings. So if you bring it together, you get living organisms that have had their basic genetic code altered somehow.
Artificial Intelligence - Product or Consumer?
Sayak Dasgupta - Issue #8 (August 2021)
"If you are not paying for the product, you are the product!" – The Social Dilemma.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Susmita Roy: On acquiring sophisticated computational tools
Angel Mary CT - 16/06/2021
Dr. Susmita Roy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical sciences, IISER Kolkata. In this electronic interview, she speaks about how simple curiosity led her to choose scientific research as a way of life and other guiding philosophies that have helped her traverse this journey so far.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Neelanjana Sengupta: Probing into life, with computational tools
Shrestha Chowdhury and Srujana Mohanty - 16/05/2021
Dr. Neelanjana Sengupta is an Associate Professor in the Department of Biological Science at IISER Kolkata. In this electronic interview, she talks about the stereotypes pertaining to girls doing physical and mathematical sciences and how she managed to break free from them.
Samsung’s NEON as a step towards an AI-assisted world
SciRa - Issue #7 (April 2021)
We all have read books or seen movies depicting a futuristic world with flying cars and personal AI assistants, a post-apocalyptic era where the earth as we know it has been completely transformed into a dystopian tech trash planet. One cannot say much about the flying cars or tech trash world yet, but in an attempt to make science fiction a reality, Samsung’s future factory STAR labs have developed Neon, AI-powered virtual beings that not only look like real humans but also behave like them with emotions and intelligence.
Magnetic Monopoles - Missing Piece of the Symmetry
Divyansh Dewan - Issue #7 (April 2021)
This article encompasses a brief about magnetic monopoles & reflects upon how their existence has been predicted, but they haven't been directly observed. It also talks about why we believe they exist, how they are envisioned, how they fit into the larger framework of science, the challenges in finding them & the efforts taken by scientists to observe them.
Heavy metal pollution from road dust is a potential health risk: Warns study
Gunjan Misri - Issue #7 (April 2021)
The article illustrates how heavy metal pollution in a developing country like ours severely affects the health of its residents. It is based on a recently published study carried out in Kolkata by a research group in IISER Kolkata’s Department of Earth Science.
It’s no Secretary, it's the Boss!
Sanskruti Biswal and Mukil M - Issue #7 (April 2021)
Imagine an eagle, but with the legs of a crane and eyelashes to die for! Confused? This is a short article on the Secretary bird, which unfortunately might disappear from the wilderness even before many have heard of it.
An evolutionary perspective of the COVID19 pandemic
Dakshesh Vasan - Issue #7 (April 2021)
Is COVID-19 just one on the list of viral outbreaks that have come and gone? Or is there something at the genetic level of this virus, making this battle more difficult than the others. This article looks at the constant struggle between species, forcing them to evolve, adapt and overcome, and how it played out last year between Homo sapiens and SARS-CoV-2.
Shubhangi Antil - Issue #7 (April 2021)
Vaccines: A review of their structure and function
Srujana Mohanty - Issue #7 (April 2021)
“The COVID-19 vaccine” - the silver bullet we were all eagerly waiting for and perhaps the phrase in which we hear the term “vaccine” most frequently these days. With all the discussions buzzing around, ranging from scientific, to political debates about this, let us take a quick look at what vaccines are, how they work, and their importance in our lives.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Koel Das: Into thoughts and beyond
Leafy Behera and Arunita Banerjee - 08/04/2021
Dr. Koel Das is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, at IISER Kolkata. In this electronic interview, she talks about her transition from an engineering background into academic research and her views on gender-balance renewal in research fields.
Science: Communicating, Educating and all that Jazz!
Subhayu Bagchi - Issue #6 (February 2021)
In this piece the author looks back on the ills of misinformation and lack of scientific thought prevalent in modern society and tries to chart a way out of this situation. The path, suggested by the author, lies in undertaking programmes of science communication across all boards and inculcation of scientific discipline from an early age even in the household. In summary, it aims to set up a system of science education that takes a holistic approach to science outside classrooms.
Combatting the crown: Strategies for coronavirus vaccines
Subhajit Bandyopadhyay - Issue #6 (February 2021)
Our fight against the COVID19 pandemic began simultaneously with it's onset. While earlier strategies were curative in nature, research has now moved on to preventive measures and multiple vaccines are being developed across the globe. This article discusses the science behind these vaccines and how they function.
Dr. Kamala Sohonie : Breaking the barriers in the history of Indian Science
Ravi Viswakarma - Issue #6 (February 2021)
This article is about the first female Ph.D from India. The story unfolds her struggles and achievements. This is one of the earliest stories of breaking gender disparity in the scientific community of India.
Scientists Investigate Correlation Between Personality and Cognitive Ability in Wild ZebraFish
Samarpita Sen - Issue #6 (February 2021)
The correlation between cognition and personality in an individual is still a murky one, and holds the key to many important questions in evolutionary biology. This article briefly discusses some of the latest findings concerning this correlation by using the zebrafish as a model organism.
Rahul Subbaraman - Issue #6 (February 2021)
Lightning strikes can be frightening and incredibly gorgeous at the same time. When a volcano erupts, and you look within the cloud of ash, if you are lucky, you might witness a flash of one of the most beautiful displays of light – a volcanic lightning! Within its beauty it also holds insights of tracking of volcanic activities.
Shreshtha Chowdhury - Issue #6 (February 2021)
Imagine a world where you have to wear the same colour every single day. How gloomy that would be! The modern world is saturated with colours. But there was a time when making colours was a luxurious enterprise. In this article is presented the fascinating and riveting tale of an artificial dye that changed one man’s fate and revolutionised the world we live in.
Rising population: A drawback for India's sustainability
Subham Mandal - Issue #6 (February 2021)
Sustainability is the key to the future of the human race. The rising population exerts pressure on available natural resources and commodities alike. This article briefly discusses the drawbacks faced by India due to the increasing population.
The brain behind an artist’s vision
Romit Majumder - Issue #6 (February 2021)
With the advancement of scientific technologies and methods, we have deciphered a lot about creativity. Yet, we are miles away from unravelling the secrets behind the thoughts that gave birth to some of the most magnificent creations of all time. The article helps us take a peek into the minds of some of the most creative-eccentric people and the physiology behind their creations.
Fishy affair: What drives the fish communities?
Sanskruti Biswal - Issue #6 (February 2021)
This is a science news article that covers a recent study titled “Temporal and environmental drivers of fish-community structure in tropical streams from two contrasting regions in India.” published in the PLOS ONE journal. Lower-order streams are often overlooked when it comes to conservation efforts to preserve fishes This study sheds light on where we might be going wrong.
The Hunger Games: Canine Edition
Ankita Nayak - Issue #6 (February 2021)
Dogs are highly intelligent creatures, a fact that scientists and affectionate pet parents can both agree on. They are a fascinating model system for the effects of socialisation on cognitive abilities. Stray dogs are an excellent source of information over pets for the same, as their learning is strongly influenced by their innate cognitive abilities rather than induced conditioning. This article talks about one such study.
സമയത്തിന്റെ ദിശ (The arrow of time)
Ravisankar - Issue #6 (February 2021)
'ടെനെറ്റ്' എന്ന സിനിമയിൽ നിന്ന് പ്രചോദനം ഉൾക്കൊണ്ട് 'സമയത്തിന്റെ അമ്പടയാളം' മനസിലാക്കാൻ ഈ ലേഖനം ഞങ്ങളെ സഹായിക്കുന്നു. പ്രപഞ്ചത്തെ നിയന്ത്രിക്കുന്ന ഭൗതികശാസ്ത്ര നിയമങ്ങൾ ഉപയോഗിച്ച് മുന്നോട്ടുള്ള ദിശയിലുള്ള സമയതിൻ്റെ യാത്രയെ വിശദീകരികാൻ ശ്രമിക്കുന്നു.
ಸ್ವಯಂ-ಸಂಘಟನೆ ಎಂಬ ಸೋಜಿಗ (Collective Animal Behaviour and Self-Organization)
Disha Hegde - Issue #6 (February 2021)
ಜಗತ್ತಿನ ಬುದ್ಧಿವಂತ ಪ್ರಾಣಿಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದಾಗಿದ್ದರೂ ಮನುಷ್ಯರು ಗುಂಪಿನಲ್ಲಿನ ಚಲನೆಯನ್ನು ಸರಿಯಾಗಿ ನಿಭಾಯಿಸಲಾರದೆ ಟ್ರಾಫಿಕ್ ಜಾಮ್ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಿಲುಕುವುದನ್ನು ನಾವು ಕಾಣಬಹುದು. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಇರುವೆ, ಹಕ್ಕಿ, ಮೀನುಗಳು ತಮ್ಮ ಸೀಮಿತ ಇಂದ್ರಿಯಗಳ ಸಹಾಯದೊಂದಿಗೆ ಯಾವ ರೀತಿ ಸರಾಗವಾಗಿ ಗುಂಪಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಚಲಿಸುತ್ತವೆ ಎಂಬುದು ಆಸಕ್ತಿದಾಯಕವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ರೀತಿಯ ಸರಾಗ ಚಲನೆಗೆ ಒಂದು ಕಾರಣ ಸ್ವಯಂ-ಸಂಘಟನೆ.
দেবানুজ চ্যাটার্জী - Issue #6 (February 2021)
বিংশ শতাব্দীর বিশিষ্ট চিত্রকার লুই ওয়েনের জনপ্রিয়তা তাঁর আঁকা অগুন্তি বেড়াল-চিত্রের সুপাতে। কিন্তু সময়ের সাথে তাঁর ছবিতে বেড়ালের ভূমিকা ও তাৎপর্যের বিপুল বিবর্তন ঘটে। সেই বিবর্তনের আড়ালে লুকিয়ে আছে এক মর্মান্তিক ঘটনা সারি। মানসিক ভারসাম্য ও সামাজিক জীবনের জটিলতায় ঘেরা এক শিল্পীর বেড়াল-প্রেমের কাহিনী কল্পিত এই লেখাটিতে।
20th century painter Louis Wain is known for his amazing cat-paintings. However, the evolution of the role and significance of cats in his paintings follow a poignant trajectory of events in his life. His mental health and the social dynamics surrounding him are re-visited and re-imagined, in this article, through the lens of his obsession with cats.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Anuradha Bhat: The exciting life of a field biologist
Aditya Dwarkesh and Arunita Banerjee - 22/02/2021
Dr. Anuradha Bhat is an Associate Professor at the Department of Biological Sciences, IISER Kolkata. Her research encompasses zoology, stream ecology and behavioural biology. In this interview, she talks about her early days as a field biologist and how she has witnessed the changes in the academic environment of our country, throughout her journey so far.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Keerthi Harikrishnan: Building a career around her life
Natasha Buwa and Arunita Banerjee - 25/01/2021
Dr. Keerthi Harikrishnan is a WoSA independent scientist at the Department. of Biology, IISER Pune. In this electronic interview she talks about her career development journey in both India and abroad.
Looking at Nothing: Investigating The Lights from a Black Hole
Ranadeep Ghosh Dastidar - Issue #5 (December 2020)
Being one of the most advanced theories of its time, (and its past) general theory of relativity (GTR) was viewed as a fundamental necessity to account for the discrepancies in Newtonian gravity. Trying to account for the changing precession of Mercury, Einstein’s theory ended up unleashing hidden (quite literally) monsters in the extreme gravity. Black holes being probably the most famous example of that. This year, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences decided to award the Nobel Prize to two milestones, for the proof of the theory of the very existence of the black hole and ingenious methods to observe them.
Debjyoti Ghosh - Issue #5 (December 2020)
The article gives a brief overview of one of the most path-breaking discoveries interdisciplinary sciences in the 21st century - the CRISPR-Cas9 system.
The Nobel Prize in Hepatitis C
Maithili Datta - Issue #5 (December 2020)
This year the Nobel Prize came with a lot of joy to the scientific community. On one hand we got CRISPR as a revolutionary discovery, on the other hand, the hope to eliminate the Hepatitis C virus got accelerated. The HCV which killed millions of people worldwide can now be suppressed and that brings a way to get rid of this deadly illness.
Chinmaya KV - Issue #5 (December 2020)
An entertaining read about simple observations to deep ruminations on the colors in the sky. The article goes down the memory lane from the simple delights of watching a rainbow to the contributions of Prof. C.V Raman, the first Indian scientist who won the Nobel Prize in 1930 for explaining the scattering of light by molecules.
ବର୍ଣ୍ଣାଳୀ ଦାସ - Issue #5 (December 2020)
ଏସିଆ ମହାଦେଶରେ ବିଜ୍ଞାନରେ ପ୍ରଥମ ନୋବେଲ ପୁରସ୍କାର ବିଜେତା, ଯାହାଙ୍କର ଆଲୋକ କ୍ଷେତ୍ରରେ ହୋଇଥିବା ଯୁଗାନ୍ତକାରୀ ଗବେଷଣା ଆଜି ମଧ୍ୟ ବହୁ ଗବେଷକଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ଉଲ୍ଲେଖନୀୟ ସୋପାନ | ବାଲ୍ୟ ଜୀବନରୁ ଅସାଧାରଣ ପ୍ରତିଭାଧାରୀ ମଣିଷ ପରବର୍ତୀ ଜୀବନରେ ସଫଳତାର ଶିଖରରେ ପହଁଚି ଆମ ମାନଙ୍କ ପାଇଁ ଏକ ଆଦର୍ଶ ସାଜିଛନ୍ତି | ଏହି ମହାନ ବୈଜ୍ଞାନିକ ଜଣକ ହେଉଛନ୍ତି ଚନ୍ଦ୍ରଶେଖର ଭେଙ୍କଟ ରମଣ |
Aditya Dwarkesh, Arunita Banerjee, Debjyoti Ghosh, Shrestha Chowdhury, Subhayu Bagchi - 03/11/2020
The Nobel Prize, one of the most prestigious honours in the world, recognizes contributions which have “conferred the greatest benefit on mankind”. Here’s a simplified sneak-peak into the Nobel Prizes 2020.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Anindita Bhadra: Of flawed humans and cultured dogs
Subhayu Bagchi and Arunita Banerjee - 23/10/2020
They say, ‘Dogs are a man’s best friend.’ Dr. Bhadra is here to tell us that we, as humans, could learn a thing or two from our friends. Dr. Anindita Bhadra is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean of International Relations and Outreach, at IISER Kolkata. She was the founding chairperson of the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS) and is presently co-chair of the Global Young Academy (GYA). Alongside her research, she is well-known in academia for excelling in multiple roles as a teacher, scientist, mentor, leader, outreach enthusiast and a thespian among other roles. #WIISER is also a brainchild of Dr. Bhadra.
COVID Vaccine: The Promised Strand
Aditya Dwarkesh - Issue #4 (October 2020)
Human emotion has a history of notoriety with regards to clouding our judgement and abilities to make reliable predictions. This clouding is inevitable when concerning something as significant as a vaccination for a pandemic. Our task in this article is a twofold one: To identify precisely which of these elements are undesirables, and to then clear the air around the mirage that is the COVID-19 vaccine of them.
Sourabh Biswas - Issue #4 (October 2020)
The wonders and colours of nature are a sight to behold as we present to you our first photo-story about the Simplipal National Park.
Prof. Somnath Dasgupta: Four decades of studying the earth
Abhinav Thakur - Issue #4 (October 2020)
In a career spanning over more than 40 years and still going strong, Prof Somnath Dasgupta takes us on an unforgettable journey about how he stepped into the field of Earth Sciences and eventually into academia. He shares anecdotes from his many adventures around the world and also shares his experiences as one of the first faculty members at IISER Kolkata.
Menstruation: The cost of being fertile
Reema Jaiswal & Shrestha Chowdhury - Issue #4 (October 2020)
The article explores ‘menstruation (aka: periods)’ from scientific and cultural perspectives. Menstruation is still considered a taboo subject to discuss. The authors shine light on the origins of misogyny due to lack of understanding of the female reproductive behaviour and also how the gain in the scientific knowledge has led to the emancipation of women.
Ravi Vishwakarma - Issue #4 (October 2020)
This is a biographical article on Dattatreya Ramachandra Kaprekar and his works. Although not widely known, the kind of work he did was not only significant but also fascinating and elementary to understand.
অ্যাননিমাস@iiserk (জনৈক আইসারীয়) - Issue #4 (October 2020)
প্রতিবছর শারদোৎসবের সূচনাকাল আপামর বাঙালির জীবনে নিয়ে আসে উৎসবের আমেজ। কিন্তু এইবছরে করোনা ভাইরাসের প্রকোপ আমাদের কপালে ফেলেছে দুশ্চিন্তার ভাঁজ।প্রত্যেকেই বিগত সাতমাস ঘর-বন্দিদশায় কাটিয়ে অবশেষে চেয়ে আছে আগামী সপ্তাহে নিয়ম বদ্ধ জীবন থেকে সামান্য মুক্তির দিকে। তবে এর মাঝে ভাইরাস কিন্তু বিশ্রাম নিচ্ছে না। এই নতুন জীবনশৈলীর সাথে নিজেদের খাপ খাওয়ানো তুলনামুলকভাবে মুশকিল হলেও অসম্ভব নয়। কি কি পদ্ধতি অবলম্বনে আনন্দ উৎসবের মাঝেও অতিরিক্ত সংক্রমন রোধ করা সম্ভব তা এই পাঠ্যে সংকলিত করা হল।
অঞ্জিরা সেনগুপ্ত - Issue #4 (October 2020)
প্রায় ১১০০০ বছর আগে, আমাদের বর্তমান ঘনিষ্ঠ সঙ্গী কুকুরের আবির্ভাব হয়েছিল, সম্ভবত ধুসর নেকড়ের থেকে। সেই থেকে এখনও, প্রধানত খাদ্য সংগ্রহের উদ্দেশ্যেই আমাদের ধারেকাছে এদের আনাগোনা। তবে মানুষের উপর নির্ভরশীল হলেও এই দুই ভিন্ন প্রজাতির মধ্যে আবার আছে প্রচুর মিল। আমাদের যেমন আছে ঘরবাড়ি, তেমনি তাদের আছে নিজস্ব এলাকা। আমাদের মতো তাদেরও আছে সংসার এবং সেই সংসার ধর্ম পালনের দায়িত্ব। আর তার সাথে আছে প্রতিবেশীদের সাথে নিত্য দন্দ্ব। এই পাঠ্যে তুলে ধরা হল এদেরই রোজনামচার কিছু অংশ।
The Art of Teaching: A Student's Perspective
Aditya Dwarkesh - 08/09/2020
The education system followed in our country is not without flaws. The current mode of online teaching is causing further setbacks to it, by replacing teachers in classrooms with virtual screens at home. In this article, we try to see how, in the face of all these adversities, a teacher may yet retain his significance in the life of the student.
Book Review — Nanoscale: The biggest “small secrets”
Srujana Mohanty - 03/09/2020
How do labs in our country perform cutting edge research despite financial constraints? Do science and ayurveda go hand in hand? Does scientific innovation crumble under market pressure? Dr. Pankaj Seksharia's ‘Nanoscale’ answers these burning questions and gives us a thorough insight into four of India's leading laboratories.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr Poonam Thakur: Moving forward, with wisdom from the past
Sowmya S Geetha and Arunita Banerjee - 29/08/2020
Dr Poonam Thakur, Assistant Professor at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, was fascinated by the intricacies of the Parkinson's Disease during her doctoral research and has decided to delve further into it with her research group now. She spoke to Cogito137 in an email interview, where she talks about the prevailing gender bias in academia and her plans of maintaining an ethical work culture in her lab.
What do scientists really know?
Varun Srivastava - Issue #3 (August 2020)
Do the concept of science, and the perception of science disagree? Is science a field that deals with the complete and absolute knowledge of Nature, or should we take scientific ‘breakthroughs’ with a pinch of salt, knowing that it is only valid till it's not? This opinion piece looks at how science in popular culture is at odds with science in reality.
Simli Mishra - Issue #3 (August 2020)
Absolute zero is the lowest temperature theoretically possible which is also practically impossible to achieve. It is the temperature which the Universe is tending to in its theoreised eventual heat death. A number of interesting phenomena occur near this temperature which have intrigued scientists for a century, and it also holds the key to future engineering.
Hilbert’s Quarantine Centre: To infinity and beyond!
Debmalya Bandyopadhyay - Issue #3 (August 2020)
This article revisits a classic thought experiment in Mathematics. It explores some of the intricacies of countable infinity and how its definition can be used to achieve seemingly impossible results, and contemplates how useful these results may be in the current pandemic.
Quantum Entanglement: Our ignorance or the Universe's ghost?
Magare Sourabh Suryakant - Issue #3 (August 2020)
A simplistic overview of one of the most startling quantum mechanical phenomena known to exist, one which greatly disconcerted Albert Einstein himself; and a discussion on its consequences regarding our knowledge about the world.
Love paves the path for a strong dog-human bond
Debottam Bhattacharjee - Issue #3 (August 2020)
A recent study from the Dog Lab, IISER Kolkata challenges the notion that dogs associate themselves with humans solely for seeking food. It shows that affectionate behaviour paves the way for dog-human bonding.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. Nisha N. Kannan: Synchronizing work, life and science with time
Ashwathi Prithviraj and Arunita Banerjee - 14/08/2020
Dr. Nisha K. Kannan, Assistant Professor, studies 'Chronobiology' in fruit flies, at IISER Thiruvananthapuram. She spoke to Cogito137 over an email interview, where she talks about her tryst with science from an early age to a career in research and how life and society influenced it.
Aditya Dwarkesh - 14/08/2020
Looking back at the European Black Plague as an archetype of a pandemic, which ravaged human lives in the 14th century, and drawing parallels to the coronavirus pandemic of the 21st century.
#WIISER Spotlight | Dr. R. S. Swathi : Where there is a will, there is a way
Anvy Kuriakose and Arunita Banerjee - 31/07/2020
Dr. R. S. Swathi, Associate Professor, is a theoretical chemist at IISER Thiruvananthapuram. She spoke to Cogito137 over an email interview, where she talks of overcoming different hurdles for securing a higher education in basic sciences and a career in scientific research.
Neha K, Sheena Shaji and Arunita Banerjee - 22/07/2020
Dr. Deepshikha Jaiswal Nagar, Assistant Professor, the only woman faculty in the Department of Physics at IISER Thiruvananthapuram, is a condensed matter physicist. She spoke to Cogito137 over an email interview, where she talks of the gender imbalance in her department, trust issues in academia and importance of bracing new problems and challenges in science.
#WIISER Spotlight | Prof. Sumana Annagiri : With curiosity driven science, towards blue-sky research
Vedanth Sriram and Arunita Banerjee - 29/06/2020
Dr. Sumana Annagiri joined IISER Kolkata as an Assistant Professor in October 2008. Her lab studies nest-relocation dynamics in an Indian ant species, trying to understand the strategies and priorities involved in the process.
Debanuj Chatterjee - Issue #2 (April 2020)
The advent of digital tools has revolutionized art by increasing possibilities for the ones with creative minds. Read on to find out about a harmonious marriage between mathematics and art.
New method of cyanide detection in edibles: devised by The Light Lab, IISER Kolkata
Vigneshbabu T - Issue #2 (April 2020)
Researchers from IISER Kolkata have produced a simple and cost-effective method of cyanide detection in food and water. This can potentially bring major transformations in the food industry, especially involving seafood.
The COVID-19 lockdown: Our self-induced psychological experiment?
Arunita Banerjee - 24/04/2020
One-third of the world population is currently living in isolation, under enforced lockdowns.The evolutionarily "social" brain of humans can be massively affected through this. Here's why this COVID-19 lockdown may be the biggest psychological experiment that mankind has induced upon itself, and how this will affect us.
#WIISER Spotlight | Prof. Jayasri Das Sarma : On training scientific minds and not just hands
Vedanth Sriram and Arunita Banerjee - 12/04/2020
Prof. Jayasri Das Sarma, who works on certain coronaviruses which infect mice models, speaks to Cogito in an electronic interview.
PhD balance - a students' initiative for better mental health in academia
Subhayu Bagchi in conversation with Susanna L Harris - Issue #2 (April 2020)
Susanna L Harris in an email conversation with Subhayu Bagchi, talks about being a graduate student herself and leading a successful students' initiative, aiming to provide much needed mental health support to graduate students.
EGFR Signaling: its multiple roles in the symphonic orchestra of insect development
Susnata Karmakar - Issue #2 (April 2020)
Living things are machines of a sort, run by complex biochemical and molecular pathways. Read on to know about the functioning of one such pathway that plays a pivotal role in the development of fruit flies.
Diptatanu Das - 27/03/2020
The COVID-19 outbreak has befallen the human race and has literally put the entire world on a lock-down. While economies are suffering greatly and the pandemic has contributed to an ‘infodemic’, people are still curious about what is all this buzz about. Read on to understand what coronavirus is, why social-distancing is important and why this should be our wake-up call to stop mis-treating the earth any further.
Women in Science | IISER Kolkata (currently changed)
Multiple authors - 08/03/2020
Srujana Mohanty - 28/02/2020
News report on the Open Day at IISER Kolkata where IISER Kolkata opens it's gates to communicate science to the public.
Prof. Narayan Banerjee, in conversation with Suvadeep Roy - Issue #1 (February 2020)
Prof. Narayan Banerjee in conversation with Suvadeep Roy, talks about the societal role of science and scientists, simplistic understanding of gravitation and dark matter, the importance of enjoying science and more.
Debmalya Bandyopadhyay - Issue #1 (February 2020)
A story about how Euler gave birth to the graph theory in an attempt to figure out an innovative route, in which a pedestrian would cross each of the seven bridges in the city of Königsberg,only once
Collaborative Science as a Path to the Future
Subhayu Bagchi - Issue #1 (February 2020)
Gone are the days when science used to be a lonesome affair. With increased globalization and emerging interdisciplinary fields, collaborative research is bringing the scientific community closer and also giving rise to mega-projects.
Aerosols - The Main Culprit for Rising Air Pollution over Kolkata
Nandana Goswami - Issue #1 (February 2020)
Most Indian metropolitans are infamous for making it to the list of top polluted cities in the world. Scientists at IISER Kolkata have pin-pointed the reason to be aerosols, majorly comprising of Sulphur particles.
Arunita Banerjee - Issue #1 (February 2020)
Rise of political turmoil across the globe has dampened climate change action-plans, which looked promising till the last year. While humans are busy fighting other humans, the arch-enemy of our kind is gaining strength.
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